Slyikg-machiwe



J. H. FREEMAN.

FLVING MACHiNE.

APPLacATiN man sPr.5,1919.

IN VENTOR. 7 BY jh/f'rfer/n WITNESS.'

V1. H. FHLEMAN. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5,1919.

WITNESS:

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J. H. FREEMAN.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPucAnon mso sm. s. me.

Paten'd June 29, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SEEN' 3.

INVENTOR. BY a/.freemrm ATTORNEY.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. FREEMAN, DF SALIDA, COLORADO.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 29 1920.

Application filed September 5, 1919. Serial No. 321,788.

` class referred to which will also operate in the nature of a parachute in case of stoppage of the engine, enabling the occupant or occupants of the car suspended at the lower end of the machine' to descend safely and effect a landing Without serious injury either to the machine or to the occupants thereof.

A further object of the invention is to prevent undue gyratory action of the air screws by a novel arrangement of shafting in connection with the propellers which rotate in op osite direction, the torque of one air screw eing thereby counter-acted by the torque of the other air screw. While. in the accompanying drawings only two lifting air screws or propellers are illustrated it will of course be understood that a larger number of air screws or propellers may be used according to the lifting power required in the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of rudders or vanes, the same being adjusted so as to direct the course of the machine when the latter is inclined from a normally vertical axis.

Another ob'ect of the invention is to provide a novel orm and arrangement of lifting air propeller or helicopter screw, the same embodying feathering blades combined with means for adjusting and re lating the pitch of the blades or reducing t e pitch to a neutral in order to accelerate the speed of the screw to increase or diminish the lifting effect thereof or throw the vanes en tirely out of operation; s o that the lifting propellers may be used as parachute elements for effecting a safe descent of the machine and occupants.

With the above and other objects in view Y the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arran ement of parts as hereinafter fully descri ed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section through the machine. y

F1 2 is a horizontal section on the line X-. of F ig. l.

Fi 3 is a horizontal section on the line Y- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

i'. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing one of the rudders or varies. I The improved helicopter .flying machine, in the preferred embodiment thereof, coniprises two tubular driving shafts 1 and 2, the shaft 1 being arranged Within and eic-l tendin entirely through and at both ends beyon the shaft 2 and both of said shafts being concentric or having coincident longitudinal axes. Extending longitudinally through and beyond the opposite ends of the shaft l is a central solid shaft 3 the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. The shaft 1 is provided with collars or stops 4 and 5 arranged to abut a ainst the respective upper and lower en s of the tubular shaft 2 for the purpose of preventing relative longn'tudinal sliding movement of said tubular propeller shaft. Mounted fast upon .the tubular shaft 1 is a rotary helicopter screw or lifting propeller 6, a corresponding screw or propeller 7 being fast on the fixed shaft 2 but having the blades normally fixed in the opposite direction, it being understood, as will hereinafter appear, that said two propellers simultaneously rotate in opposite directions.

Each of the propellers or lifting screws 6 and 7 comprises a disk 6 and body ci' hub portion 8 having an upturned annular flange 9 which receives pivots 10 at the inner end of a circular series of blades 11. The blades are also provided at their outer extremities with pivots 12 which are received in an annulus or surrounding band or rim 13 preferablyY of triangular and hollow shape in formation, to provide for strength and lightness. The rim 13 is braced by upper and lower inclined stays 14 and 15, the lower stays of the upper propeller being connected to the collar 4 and the inner ends of the upper stays 14 being connected to another collar 16 on the upper extremit of the propeller shaft 1. The stays 14 an 15 of the lower propeller are connected at their outer extremities to the rim of the propeller and the inner end of said stays are connected to collars 17 and 18 on the tubular shaft 2.

Adjacent to its lower end, the outside tubular propeller shaft 2 is provided with a circumferential collar or flange 19 upon which is journaled and supported the frame 20 of a car 21.

Secured to the bottom of the car 21 is a landing gear which comprises essentially a plurality of springs 22 which cushion the contact of the machine with the ground while descending and effecting a landing. Arranged at opposite sides of the frame of the car are rudders or vanes 23 which are shown as elongated vertical] and mounted on horizontal pivots or stu shafts 24 extending outwardly from the car. Connected to each of the rudders 23 is an arm 25 for the purpose of bri ing the upper portion of the rudder lateral y to give the same any desired pitch or inclination, the inner end of said arm being adapted to engage the rack 26 for maintainin the angle of adjustment of the rudder. y means of the rudders when properly adjusted, the direction of travel of the machine may be controlled, the rudders acting as dra s.

Mounted in and carried y the car 21 is an engine 27 which is connected by suitable means to the gear 28 on the lower end of the tubular propeller shaft 1 for rotating said shaft in a certain direction. Extending upwardly from the engine and driven thereby is a counter shaft or transmission shaft 29 which is connected by gears 30 and 31 to the lower end of the outer tubular shaft 2 carryinY the other lifting propeller which is there y rotated in the reverse direction from the propeller on the shaft l. The gyratory action of the two propellers is thus counteracted, while any tendency of the car 21 to rotate is counteracted by the rudders or vanes 23 when properly ad'usted.

lhe means for adjusting the pitch of the blades of the lower ropeller, comprises a grooved runner 32 slidable upon the-outer tubular propeller shaft 2 and connected by rods or stays 33 with the normally up er corners of the blades of the lower rope ler 7. The ooved collar 32 is movable on the shaft 2 y means of a bell crank shifting lever 34 one end of which is adapted to be engaged with a rack bar 35 by means of which it is held at any desired adjustment. Connected to the opposite end of the lever 35 which is of the Heating type is a downwardly extending rod 36 connected at its lower end with one arm of another lever 37, pivotall mounted on the lower extremity of the s aft 3 above referred to and fulcrumed on a short dependin bolt 38 secured to the bottom of the car. he shaft 3 rotates with the tubular propeller shaft 1 and has on its upper end a collar or cap piece 39 from which rods or other connections 110 extend outwardl and downwardly to the corners of the bla es 11 of the upper propeller or lifting screw. By means of the mechanism just described it will now be observed that the blades 11 of the upper and lower propeller are simultaneously ad- .n 'ustable as to their pitch. This pitch mayso e changed in an desired d ree and if necessary the bla es may all e arranged in a neutral or non-lifting position, in which latter position they will act in the nature of parachutes to retard the rapid downward movement of the machine should the engine fail to operate or stop.

The machine hereinabove described will be found particularly safe in operation and will be found of special value for military operation as the machine may descend from a clrcumscribed area and land in an equally small space. Furthermore the machine may be caused to hover over any given spot and by regulating the speed of the propellers, the machine may be caused to practically stand still without either ascending or descending while hovering over a fixed spot enabling ammunitiombombs and rojectiles to be dropped upon the enemy. t will of course be understood that the size of diameter of the lifting propellers may be varied accordin to the size of the machine and the rapidity with which ascent is required. The size of the propellers also may vary in accordance with the load to be carried and the general work for which the machine is designed. B using two propellers or multiples of two, t e propellers serve to counteract each other 1n gyratory action while the rudders 23 on the car serve as a drag for the car and enable the screws or propellers to pull the machine along a definite course. The vanes of both propellers ma be correspondingly and simultaneously a 115 justed by means of the single lever located preferably overhead but in reach of an occupant of the car, which lever is held xed 1n any adjusted position by means of the rack 35.

In a helicopter flying machine, a plurality of normaltly vertical propeller shafts having coinci ing axes and nested one within another, means preventing relative longi- 125 tudinal movement of said shafts, a car su ported by and journaled on one of said sha an engine supported b said car, driving connections between sai engine and shafts to drive the latter in opposite dircc- 130 tions, aerial liftinr propellers fast on said shafts, said propelers embodying feathering blades, and manually controlled means for concurrently varying the pitch of the 5 blaues of said propellers, the last named means com rising a central rotary longitudinally shdable shaft passing through said JAMES H. FR E AN. 

